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Philippines Among Most Vulnerable to Retail Systems Hacking

THE PHILIPPINES ranked among the countries in the region most vulnerable to hackers who target electronic retail systems, cyber security company Trend Micro’s Philippine unit said on Wednesday in a media briefing.

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Point-of-sale (POS) system malware incidents, affecting purchases made through a credit card or a debit card, are among the most prevalent cyber crimes in the Philippines.

In the Asia-Pacific, the Philippines had the fifth highest rate of POS attacks at 6% while the United States topped the list at 31%. Countries in second to fourth place were Australia (10%), Taiwan (9%), and Brazil (8%).

The study covers the first half of 2015.

POS systems are becoming increasingly available to even small to medium enterprises due to the influx of card-swiping devices employing cheap hardware, it sad.

“It’s not just the cards, but the system server where the data is stored or the gadget being used to swipe the card is also vulnerable,” said Myla V. Pilao, Trend Micro Philippines’ Director of Marketing Communications said.

Meanwhile, online banking was also an area of concern, as the Philippines had the fourth highest number of attacks in the region. There were over one million malware detections in the Philippines for the third quarter alone, Trend Micro said.

As Filipinos become more accustomed to make their purchases through e-commerce, Trend Micro noted that local banks still do not use the most modern security practices for their credit and debit cards.

Financial institutions in the Philippines still do not employ EMV cards that come with embedded chips as an added security feature to the personal identification number.

“Anything that is connected to the Internet, we have to assume that it is a target,” said Ms. Pilao.

“It would take us years to put up regulation (against cybersecurity threats), that is the biggest hurdle. We also need capacity building. Our law enforcement, they are used to investigating crimes on the street but to get them to investigate online won’t be easy because it’s not their habit,” she said.

The country’s e-commerce law, which Ms. Pilao pointed out, is outdated based on what is happening in real world attacks. -- Nicolo Paolo A. Pascual

Beauty Queens Are FHM's October 2015 Cover Girls

As seen in our last FHM Guess Who, this month's cover features a trio of trim head-turners...

Roll out the red carpet and bow down to the queenly grace of Danielle Castaño, Cindy Miranda, and Queenie Rehman!

And mind you, this is not your ordinary swimsuit competition...

Through the lens of Doc Marlon Pecjo, the former beauty queens set aside the tiara and sash, letting go of their regal inhibitions for this month's issue. Beauty pageants aren't really a man's thing; this time around though, we have enough—actually three—excuses to openly indulge in this female audience-dominated world of shapely curves and mile-long legs.

Of the three Cover Girls, you could consider Miss World 2008 representative Danielle, or Dani, as having the most experience when it comes to these things, appearing in our February 2012 issue and a number of times on the website.

She says in our cover story, "When I first did a cover for FHM, I felt like I wasn’t ready physically. I was more 'chubby cheeks' pa. Now, Ifeel like I’ve grown as a woman, and siyempre my features have changed. I first worked with you guys when I was 19! I’m 25 now, ha ha!"

Cindy, Binibining Pilipinas-Tourism 2013 and among the Top 10 in that year's Miss Tourism Queen International, meanwhile, is relishing the chance of being able to flaunt what she believes is an oft-ignored facet of a beauty queen (Well, not for us...): "When you’re a beauty queen kasi, people train you to be even more refined. You can’t really project sexy kasi laging big smiles lang. Ngayon naipakita ko 'yung isa pang side ng beauty queen na hindi masyadong nakikita ng ibang tao."

Showing off overlooked qualities—and in this woman's case, unexpected talents—is not new to Miss World Philippines 2012 Queenie, who beatboxed her way into the hearts of all those present during Miss World 2012's talent portion. "I'm very competitive," she explains. "I also play basketball, so dun pa lang I’ve developed a competitive instinct na no matter what it takes, I’ll do my best to win."

That is also why we gave you, our dear readers, only the best, with not just one, but THREE sultry ladies—queens at that!—for a single cover! You know you can't go wrong with that. Go on, bask and revel in their presence...

Aside from Dani, Cindy and Queenie, this month's issue also assures a hefty serving of man-knowledge: the real deal with current trends (and why they trend, save the hashtags); a scoring guide on the hottestlandian dating apps (Tinder, OkCupid and Snapchat); the manhood test, taken by master comedianWally Bayola (AKA Lola Nidora, Dra. The Explorer, and a whole bunch of other Kalyeserye characters); and why we shouldn't have mocked MMDA's #ShakeDrill.

FHM's October 2015 issue will be available in supermarkets, newsstands, and bookstores starting tomorrow, October 3! You can score digital copies in the following days through the FHM app on Apple App Store (http://bit.ly/fhmphapple) and on Google Play (http://bit.ly/FhmPHandroid) and the Summit Media Newsstand (http://bit.ly/fhmmagph)!

Philippines Losing 300B Pesos to Disasters Yearly

By Prinz Magtulis (The Philippine Star)

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The Philippines is prone to natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. On average, 20 typhoons visit the country every year. File photo

MANILA, Philippines – Losing more than P300 billion from natural disasters and calamities every year, the Philippines is at the forefront of a new global cooperation seeking to reduce financial vulnerabilities to natural catastrophes.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima leads 19 other nations in Lima, Peru this week in the establishment and inaugural meeting of the “Vulnerable 20” (V20) finance ministers group, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).

“Climate change is real,” Purisima was quoted as saying.

“There’s simply no debate about it. Its devastating effects reach deeply, jeopardizing sustainable economic growth, threatening food security and worsening the quality of life in many climate-vulnerable countries. What is even more unfortunate is that least developed, low-income, and middle-income countries that contribute the least to climate change are the ones that suffer the most from its adverse effects.”

Climate vulnerable nations suffer economic losses amounting to 2.5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) every year, according to estimates from the DOF.

GDP is the sum of all products and services created in an economy.

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With P12 trillion in nominal GDP by end 2014, 2.5 percent translates to more than P300 billion every year in the Philippines.

For context, P300 billion accounts for a tenth of next year’s proposed P3.002-trillion national budget.

The Philippines is prone to natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

On average, 20 typhoons visit the country every year.

“The losses are expected to escalate if no significant action against climate change is implemented,” the DOF said.

The V20 group is looking at crafting an “action plan” to outline efforts to be taken to mitigate the impact of climate change, particularly through the mobilization of funds.

“Technical support” for susceptible nations will also be studied.

V20 also hopes to draft its inputs to the bigger gathering of nations against climate change at the Conference of Parties in Paris, France in December.

Along with the Philippines, the V20 is comprised of mainly small island countries in Asia-Pacific like Madagascar, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu and Tuvalu.

Other members are Saint Lucia, Bhutan, Kiribati, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, Rwanda and Vietnam.

Attending the inaugural meeting are representatives from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

France, Germany, Japan and the US will represent the advanced economies.

The V20 was established pursuant to the Costa Rica Action Plan 2013-2015, which laid out its priorities when it first met informally in Warsaw, Poland two years ago. 

The plan also vowed to tackle the impact of climate change on health, human rights, labor, migration and science.                 

Cayetano Thanks Duterte for Supporting his VP Bid

Office of the Senate Majority Leader

Alan Peter S. Cayetano

Rm. 603 GSIS Complex Senate of the Philippines Roxas Blvd Pasay City

         

PRESS RELEASE

03 October 2015

Cayetano thanks Duterte for supporting his VP bid

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano expressed his gratitude to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for supporting the senator’s vice presidential bid in the upcoming national elections.

In an interview following their dinner meeting on Tuesday (September 29), Duterte was asked by media members in Davao City to compare Cayetano with other possible candidates for vice president, to which the mayor responded, “Wala, wipe out ‘yan sila lahat sa kanya.”

Duterte also lauded the Senate leader’s “good grasp of practical solutions” for the country’s enduring problems on poverty, poor infrastructure, and lack of inclusive economic growth.

Cayetano, for his part, thanked the mayor for believing in his ability to serve the country in a higher office. He said he also continues to pray for a president who will take on the challenge of creating genuine change in the lives of Filipino families.

“I join my fellow Filipinos in hoping for the best. Mayor Duterte is a very decisive person, he’s the type of leader who offers concrete solutions to problems and really takes action,” the senator said in a radio interview a day after he officially announced his plan to run for VP.

“When I announced my candidacy in Davao, I took a step of faith. I told myself that a good partner is really worth waiting for," he added.

The senator, meanwhile, stressed that whatever happens in the following months preceding the 2016 polls, he will remain committed to his goal of pushing for real change and a more inclusive growth throughout the country.

Philippines' New World Record

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte, Manila Bulletin

Guinness World Records adjudicator Jack Bronkbank affirms the new record set by the Philippines

The Guinness World Records has accorded the Philippines with a new recognition: As the country with the largest coin mosaic. Measuring 250.2 square meters in size, 25 teams formed the image in 25 hours with P5 and 10 centavo copper coins, the bronze-colored 25-centavo coins, the silver finish of P1 coins, the gold finish of P5, and the dual-toned face of P10 coins.

“Forming the coin mosaic is our way of giving back to the Filipino people – the people who have helped us become what we are today. The value of the coins used in the mosaic will be used to help fund the development of chosen elementary public schools through multimedia tools and resources,” said Patricia Riingen, Western Union’s VP for South Asia and Oceania.
The mosaic is now the world’s largest in terms of surface area; bearing the image of WU’s 25th anniversary logo with the rising sun to represent hope and a brighter future while the abstract of a dove to symbolize the company’s ambition for the young children who will benefit from the undertaking.

“It’s an incredibly difficult undertaking and not an easy task at all. The Guinness World Records is an affirmation of humankind’s constant striving to be the best. The coin mosaic record was first set in the UK at 140 sq-m. This was toppled by the US in April 2015 with a 156 sq-m mosaic. And today, the Philippines sets the new record at 250 sq-m,” confirmed Guinness World Records adjudicator Jack Brockbank, who flew in from London to verify the attempt.

The worthwhile undertaking was part of WU’s TANYAG (Technology Aiding the Nation’s Youth to Accelerate Growth) project, an initiative to help educate the next generation using technology and tools to further young mind’s learning. Each of the 25chosen public elementary schools will receive 32-inch LED TV monitors, speaker sets, laptops pre-loaded with Knowledge Channel’s videos together with calendars and magazines, optical mice, HDMI cables, as well as auto voltage regulators. Also included in the package is an e-game uploaded from kchonline.ph that will help students gain a more comprehensive learning experience in mathematics and financial literacy.
“With money moved for better, the economy prospers. The company is present in 200 countries and territories worldwide, including the Philippines. 250 WU employees helped in putting together the mosaic that utilized close to half a million coins of various denominations. We earmarked P3.5-million worth of gadgetry for our school beneficiaries,” Riingen added.

250 Western Union employees completed the 250-sq.m mosaic in 25 hours

Of the 25 public elementary schools, five will come from Metro Manila (Taguig, Quezon City, Makati, Caloocan and Muntinlupa), five from the Visayas (Cebu, Iloilo, Catbalogan, Tacloban and Bacolod), five from Mindanao (Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Surigao City and Davao del Norte) and ten from Luzon provinces (Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Bataan and Quezon).

Metro Pacific Seeks Majority Control of Davao Doctors Hospital

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Business ( Leaderboard Top ), pagematch: , sectionmatch: 1Metro Pacific seeks majority control of Davao Doctors Hospital for P1.6 B

By Iris C. Gonzales (The Philippine Star) 

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The Manuel V. Pangilinan-led hospital firm commenced yesterday a general offer to acquire the remaining shares of stock in the Davao-based hospital through law firm SyCip Salazar Hernandez and Gatmaitan Law Offices. File photo

MANILA, Philippines - Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. (MPHHI), the healthcare unit of industrial conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), is seeking a majority stake in Davao Doctors Hospital Inc. (DDH).

The Manuel V. Pangilinan-led hospital firm commenced yesterday a general offer to acquire the remaining shares of stock in the Davao-based hospital through law firm SyCip Salazar Hernandez and Gatmaitan Law Offices.

The hospital subsidiary currently owns 313,655 shares or 34.82 percent of the outstanding capital stock of DDH and wants to acquire the remaining 587,154 shares of stock in the medical institution for roughly P1.614 billion.

MPHHI  acquired its stake in DDH for P500 million in 2009 and has since poured in P400 millionin 2009  in investments to improve the facility.

MPHHI is offering a higher price per share if it would be able to acquire a higher number of shares. It laid down three conditions as basis for the offer price.

In its offer, MPHHI said if as a result of the tender, it will acquire less than 136,747 DDH shares, the offer price shall be P2,300 per share.

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On the other hand, if as a result of the tender MPHHI acquires at least 136,747 DDH shares but less than 286,881 shares, the offer price shall be P2,600 per share.

Finally, MPHHI said if it acquires at least 286,881 DDH shares, the purchase price shall be P2,750 per share.

The offer period will be until Nov. 19, MPHHI said.

As of  end-June, the Metro Pacific Group has nine hospitals with a total bed count of 2,245: Makati Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Asian Hospital & Medical Center and De Los Santos Medical Center in Metro Manila; Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital in Tarlac; Riverside Medical Center in the Visayas; and Davao Doctors Hospital and WMMC in Mindanao; one mall- based diagnostic and ambulatory care center located in SM Megamall; and two healthcare colleges – Riverside College Inc. in Visayas and Davao Doctors College in Mindanao.

The hospital group’s first half net income this year rose 23 percent to P565 million.